


Spread Over the Emptiness

by amirawrites



Series: Will/Riley in every AU possible [2]
Category: Sense8, Sense8 (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-19
Updated: 2015-07-19
Packaged: 2018-04-10 01:53:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4372610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amirawrites/pseuds/amirawrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Riley's anxiety causes her to be on edge. Will decides he's going to try to calm her down, which involves hot chocolate and dancing around Riley's kitchen. Non-sensate AU.  Loosely references Halsey's song Drive, which Riley sings to Will.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spread Over the Emptiness

**Author's Note:**

> So, first off- MAJOR warning for anxiety. I wrote this fic when I was feeling anxious myself, wanting something to calm me down. And Riley does calm down, but there is some vivid descriptions of her anxiety, so please take caution when reading if you are triggered by things like that.  
> (PS- sorry for grammar mistakes, I wrote this on 3 hours of sleep ((hopefully I will get a chance to read back through this tomorrow after I have caught up on my sleep)) but please, enjoy!)

Riley doesn't mean to shut everyone out. 

She really does try to stay positive most of the time; keep her head up, her eyes focused, keep smiling, keep laughing, have fun- but that doesn't always work. 

Will manages to help sometimes, though. It's like he's psychic. She'll start fading into the background, stop contributing to the conversation, and he'll notice. He'll be grinning at the group, looking around at all of them, before pausing on her. She always tries to flash him a quick smile but she knows it doesn't reach her eyes. But he keeps smiling for the both of them, reaching across to lay a reassuring hand on her, pulling her back into the conversation and out of the darkness in her own mind. 

Running away to America had been scary, but now she knew it was worth it. When she had found Will and his gang of delinquents and outcasts and loud but welcoming people, she began to feel happy again. They made her feel like she could, maybe, ignore the gaping hole inside of her.

Regardless of their warm hugs and constant energy, Riley still manages to lose herself some nights. She'll be laughing and enjoying herself one moment and then the next she can barely meet anyone's eye. She wants to participate and be a happy part of the group- she can tell she's bringing the mood of the party down, but she just can't.

And tonight, well, it just isn't a good night.

So, Riley locates Will where he's having an argument- "Not an argument, Riley, I'm just trying to talk some sense into her!"- okay, a spirited debate with Nomi about her using his police codes to get clearance to things she should definitely not be getting clearance on and Riley asks him to take her home, since he is the designated driver.

Everyone groans at Riley leaving, but they let her go without making her stay anymore than she wants to. Will yells that he'll be back soon- " _and not to make any bad decisions while he's gone, I'm talking to you, Wolfgang and Nomi!"-_ before leading Riley outside. 

"Sorry to take you away," Riley says as the get onto the elevator. 

Will is all smiles. "It's no problem at all," he assures her. Riley can tell his sentiment is genuine. 

Riley attempts to smile back, but she's not sure how successful she is and it only makes her chest tighten more, so she drops it quickly and stares at the ground. She knows Will must have noticed but he doesn't press her, which she's grateful for. 

He cracks a joke in the car and she gives a halfhearted laugh that dies out quicker than she intended it to. Will's smile drops for a split second. His hand slowly snakes towards her, crossing the space in between the seats and landing palm-up next to hers. It's an invitation, a suggestion. Riley knows, if she doesn't take it, he'll pull away with no questions asked and no hard feelings. Will is amazing like that. It's their silent agreement, Riley lets Will comfort her and see her while she's weak, and he expects nothing from her in return. 

Riley stares at his hand and tears well up in her eyes, almost too heavy to hold in. How did she get lucky enough to have people like him in her life?

She stares long enough for Will to start pulling away and Riley has to quickly clap her hand down onto his to stop him. Will tries not to react, but his fingers instantly twine with hers, squeezing gently. 

Riley tries really, really hard to keep herself together until she gets home, but something in her chest twists too tight around her and she can't breathe. Her breath picks up, quicker and quicker, until she's left gasping in, feeling as though she can't get enough air. Tears spill freely and she puts all of her effort into keeping quiet, turning her head all the way away from Will so he won't see her crying. 

She wants to pull her hand away so she can cover her face, but there's no way to do that without him noticing. Plus, maybe just maybe something about his thumb brushing carefully over the back of her hand is keeping her from falling straight into the anxiety ridden, panic attack inducing, black hole that is her mind. It keeps her breathing just under the barrier of hyperventilation and keeps her thoughts on the feel of his hand in hers, out of the dark corners of her brain. 

When they finally get to her apartment, Riley is ready to bolt, but Will holds her back. 

"Riley, wait," he says, his hand releasing hers so he can touch her lightly on the shoulder to stop her from leaving. Riley tries to keep her head ducked but, as he pulls her towards him, his eyes catch her face. The streetlights reflect off of the wet tear tracks on her face and his smile falls. 

"What, Will?" Riley instantly regrets snapping at him, but she honestly just wants to run into her apartment and hide until her anxiety is back into check, until this not good night is over. She doesn't have time for him to hug her goodbye and linger just long enough for Riley to spend the rest of the night analyzing whether he was thinking about kissing her or not. And then spend the rest of the next day scolding herself for thinking about kissing Will so much. 

But he doesn't do that. Instead, his fingers stretch up from where they are on her shoulder to brush against her neck as he asks, "Are you sure you want to be alone right now?" His voice is low and quiet, eyes on where his hand is touching her neck, nervously flicking up to look at hers before darting back down. 

Riley is slightly taken aback by the question because  _of course_ she wants to be alone... right? Wasn't that the whole point of leaving?

But, as his hand pulls away from her and his eyes look back at her questioningly in such a soft way that makes Riley feel like maybe the world isn't only full of the jagged edges she's so used to pressing against her, she feels a tiny part of her spike into fear at the thought of getting out of this car, alone, and letting Will drive away. 

So, somehow, Riley finds that she shakes her head no and then Will is turning the car off and getting out. Riley stays still, unsure exactly how she feels about letting this happen. Will walks around and opens the door for her, holding out a hand. Riley finds herself staring at it again as she thinks. But she quickly decides that yes, she really does not want to be alone. 

Riley takes Will's hand and lets him lead her into her apartment complex and onto the elevator. In the elevator, she pulls away from him as emotions overwhelm her. She covers her face in her hands, shoulders slumping down. She regrets letting Will come, she doesn't want him seeing her like this. 

But Will reaches out. Riley feels his arm slowly curve around her shoulder. It asks  _is this okay?_   When she doesn't protest, Will pulls Riley into him, moving cautiously to give her time to stop him if she wants to.  _  
_

Riley doesn't stop him, though, so she ends up pressed against his chest, breathing him in as sobs rack through her and her breathing goes completely errant. 

She has half composed herself when they reach her apartment, but then her hands are shaking too hard to open the door and hot, frustrated tears quickly spring into her eyes. 

Warm fingers wrap around her shaking ones, gently prying the key out of her grasp and opening the door for her. Will sits her down at the kitchen counter and starts banging around her small kitchen. 

Riley puts her head down on the cool counter as Will busies himself. She only lifts is when Will sets something down in front of her. 

"You made me hot chocolate?" Riley manages to ask in between several deep breaths, some of which catch in her throat. 

Will nods, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck. "You don't have to drink it it you don't want to... or if you don't like it..."

Riley grabs the mug and takes a gulp. It burns her tongue a little, but the warmth agreeably pours down her throat and spreads into her chest. She feels herself loosen a little and she takes in a breath that doesn't shudder. As she drinks the rest, she slowly relaxes, her body returning to normal and climbing down the precipice of the panic attack. 

Will watches her silently, fingers tapping quietly on the counter. When she finishes, Will takes the mug from Riley and places it in the sink. 

Riley watches him as he does, feeling her chest swell with gratitude. She stands up as he walks back over and envelopes him in a hug. Will is startled for a second before he returns the hug. 

"Feeling better?" he asks, his breath just barely ruffling her hair. 

Riley nods against his chest. "Thank you, Will," she says. "This means a lot to me."

Will chuckles nervously. "Oh, it was, uh, no problem at all."

Riley pulls away from him, keeping her hands on his back and her eyes downward. "It reminds me of when my father would notice I was going to have a... panic attack and would sing to me and make me dance to distract me."

Will doesn't reply and, when Riley looks up at him, he's grinning widely down at her. She wonders if his cheeks are sore at the end of each day from smiling so much. "What?" she asks him. 

Will takes a step back and holds out his hand. "Would you like to dance, Riley?"

Riley can't fight the smile that spreads onto her face tentatively. She raises one eyebrow at him,  _really?_

Will nods his head and Riley takes his hand. She places her other hand on his shoulder as his hand slides securely onto her waist. 

"I assume you'll provide the music, DJ?" he asks. 

Riley rolls her eyes jokingly but starts singing nonetheless. 

" _My hand wrapped around a stick shift._

_Swerving on the 405, I can never keep my eyes off this..."_

Will leads her across the kitchen as she sings softly. They step together, Will pulling Riley closer so he can put his cheek against her hair. She's practically whispering into his ear. 

_"My neck, the feeling of your soft lips,_

_illuminated in the light, bouncing off the exit signs I missed..."_

Riley's lips brush down Will's throat as she follows his steps, only half on accident. She feels entranced as he dances with her, a thrill in her side where one of his fingers touches her bare skin from her top bunching up under his hand. 

_"All we do is drive._

_All we do is think about the feelings that we had._

_All we do is sit in silence waiting for a sign._

_Sick and full of pride,_

_al we do is drive..."_

Will pulls back to look at her but Riley nuzzles into him again, tucking her head into the crook of his neck and rubbing her nose against his chin. 

_"And California never felt like home to me, until I had you on the open road,_

_and now we're singing..."_

Riley lifts her head slightly and her lips jostle with Will's jawline. Something in her feels electric. Her skin tingles out from everywhere he touches her. 

_"His laugh echoes down the hallway,_

_carves into my hollow chest, spreads over the emptiness._

_It's bliss."_

Will's lips are turned upwards. Smiling as always. Riley feels the lyrics inside of her. Where would she be without Will? He's like the sun. He brings life to her- light, warmth, fire, thawing her frozen world. 

_"It's so simple, but we can't stay, over analyze again._

_Would it really kill you if we kissed?"_

The last sentence comes out as more of a question than Riley intends it to. She has moved up to his face, her lips ghosting on the corner of his mouth, wanting to taste his smile.

Will's hand slides up Riley's back and spreads around the back of her neck. Riley's hand cups his cheek, bringing them impossibly closer but still leaving a hair of distance. 

"Riley?" Will breathes her name. A question. It passes in the space between them, that infinitesimally small amount of space separating their lips. 

But then Riley moves and closes the distance, pressing her lips against his to answer his question. 

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this is late, lovelies! I have a whole mountain of excuses- I'm in the process of moving, I just got a new job, I'm writing a book, I'm a lazy piece of shit- but just know that these will be pumped out at least ONCE a week, even if it's not until Saturday night/Sunday morning. So, stay tuned!  
> Other than that, I really hoped you guys enjoyed it!


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